After more than 25 years of operation, STAT-USA is closing its doors. This was not an easy decision, but the world of access to government information has evolved to the point that STAT-USA’s business model, as a fee for service office, is no longer viable.

In its early years, STAT-USA was on the progressive edge of government data delivery. Its mandate from Congress, to serve as a central collection and delivery mechanism for economic and trade information from all the federal agencies, was a much-needed innovation. Since then, the Internet and information technology in general have grown and changed at dazzling speed. Information sharing, data tools, and social media have become intrinsic parts of American life.

In this new atmosphere, STAT-USA/Internet’s historic role as a straightforward storehouse of static government information releases has become outdated. As we move on, we applaud and acknowledge these new innovations, new tools for new needs, and a new world of government data-sharing.

Fast Facts

USA Trade Online will continue, provided by the Foreign Trade Division of the Census Bureau—a key source of STAT-USA data. All USA Trade Online subscription accounts will be handled directly by that agency, with no interruption to the customer.

STAT-USA/Internet (which includes all State of the Nation and GLOBUS & NTDB databases) and our syndication services will cease September 30, 2010.

We hope that the globalEDGE Database of International Business Statistics (DIBS) will alleviate some of the data collection complexities associated with international business research. Importantly, the globalEDGE DIBS is FREE. Interested academics (i.e., students, faculty, and researchers affiliated with a higher education institution, government agency, or think tank) may download data free of charge. The only requirements are that you register on globalEDGE (which is also FREE) using an institutional (.edu or .gov) email address and provide a statement of your intended use. Key features of DIBS:

+ Access is available for academic, non-commercial use
+ Frequent updates using robust data
+ Over 2500 variables
+ Over 200 countries
+ Data available from mid-1990s to present